A French former lover sat, protected (9)
I believe the answer is:
unexposed
'protected' is the definition.
('unexposed' can be similar in meaning to 'protected')
'a french former lover sat' is the wordplay.
'a french' becomes 'un' ('a' in French).
'former lover' becomes 'ex'.
'sat' becomes 'posed' ('pose' can be a synonym of 'sit').
'un'+'ex'+'posed'='UNEXPOSED'
(Other definitions for unexposed that I've seen before include "film not used" , "Closet" , "Hidden" , "Roundish handle" , "fully clothed?" .)